Leer Cap

[Dreman]

I guess the fiberglass toppers are quite heavy. My father's 1978 full size bed F150 had an aluminum topper on it, and either one of us could remove it or install it by ourselves if necessary. It was easier to do it with two people, but not required. Just unscrew it from the bed, lift one end to break the seal, go to the middle, and lift it up over your head. It wasn't the prettiest thing around, but it worked.

 

[Gerald Pierce]

Now Children!! Both of you go to your rooms



It all boils down to one thing-- is the camper shell/topper/etc worth his expense. The answer is ..... it all depends on what HE wants. The price is good, it can be painted rather cheaply, and if he wants to enclose the rear end, then go for it.



Q--I ask one question, ok- three. How many people are in your immediate family? Do you all travel in your ST? And if yes, where do you carry your luggage and stuff?



We have 5 in my family, and we used to travel with 2 dogs. Luggage and dogs in the back, protected from the weather. A cooler sits in the bed right by the power window so we can access it from inside the ST. I like having the ST available to use as a truck, but 99pct of the time I use it as a car--commuting to work. You can look in my library and see that I use it both ways. YMMV. You have a lid to provide lockable storage, he wants a shell to provide a larger area... you both can remove your choice to have an open bed, he may need a second person to help, maybe not. I believe you had a misconception about how easy it is to remove a topper......... when in reality it is probably not any harder than removing your lid, so when you compare the two, you really have no justification for your argument that it reduces the usefullness of your truck since both items enclose the bed and make the bed unavailable for use as such without removing a cover of some sort.

 

[Clark Brown]

Ski,



I have an ARE Z series cap and love it. I bought my ST with the intent of getting a cap. We do a lot of camping and also have a dog. I can put the dog or camping gear in there and hose it all out when I'm done. (can't do that with a regular explorer and I have more cargo capacity) I figured that I can take the cap off if I needed to carry something tall put haven't had the need to do so yet. Mine is mounted exactly the same as Fred's is.



The Leer cap would have been my 2nd choice but for $650 I would have bought it in a minute.



[Broken External Image]:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Thanks for the picture Clark. It looks nice. Oh, and I bet it's cheaper than an Explorer and in many ways more versatile.



TJR

 

[Dreman]

GMC tried to make something that would have the best of both worlds, the Envoy XUV. The rear roof is retractable, and you can carry large things in it. However, it is quite expensive, and they aren't selling very well. The Sport Trac with a cap is much less expensive, and gives you a similar result.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Yeah, and you could wash out the back of the Envoy with a garden hose. It was a nice concept, but maybe twice a year (on average) you have the need to haul something taller than the roof of your SUV (or your bed's cap). Paying a huge premium to be able to open the roof of an SUV just doesn't tend to make sense economic sense as renting an open bed truck or paying for a deliverly fee for those few times is cheaper in the long run.



TJR

 

[Dave Scharff]

Again thanks to all of you for the input. TJR, I totally see your arguement, and I can appreciate your comments...Just don't get wrapped up in a juvenile arguement with a closed minded person like Q.



Q thanks for adding your invaluable input. It has really assisted me in making my decision!!



SKI